Siemens Gamesa, Airborne collaborate on automation of wind turbine blades
Joint efforts combine years of expertise in the manufacture of wind turbine blades, composite processing and automation to scale up operations.
Photo Credit: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy
(SGRE, Zamudio, Spain) has contracted Airborne (The Hague, Netherlands) to engineer and supply an automated system for the manufacturing of composite offshore wind turbine blades.
By working together, both companies bring years of expertise in the manufacture of wind turbine blades, composite processing and automation to make this project a success. Airborne is a 100% composites-focused digital automation company with more than 25 years of experience in developing composite solutions for high-tech industries such as aerospace, automotive and renewable energy. Siemens Gamesa supplies wind turbines globally with what it says is unique process for manufacturing large offshore blades.
“We are excited to support Siemens Gamesa in this challenging project,” Marcus Kremers, CTO of Airborne, notes. “The scale of the operation is impressive and the requirements on layup rate are higher than we have ever seen. We are proud to bring our technologies and expertise to the table and jointly develop the right technology.”
Morten Westeraa, robotics expert of Siemens Gamesa agrees, finding potential and demand in the global wind turbine market. “It is essential that our production is kept at the highest level of efficiency, throughput and quality,” Westeraa adds. “We are confident that Airborne is a very skilled partner on this journey.”
Related Content
-
We4Ce infused 2.5-3-MW rotor blade design passes validation test
Composite rotor blade structure design by We4Ce, mold and prototype production by InDutch Composites and fatigue testing by Suzlon Group has resulted in the novel blade’s IEC61400-5:2020 certification.
-
Composites end markets: Energy (2024)
Composites are used widely in oil/gas, wind and other renewable energy applications. Despite market challenges, growth potential and innovation for composites continue.
-
RTM, dry braided fabric enable faster, cost-effective manufacture for hydrokinetic turbine components
Switching from prepreg to RTM led to significant time and cost savings for the manufacture of fiberglass struts and complex carbon fiber composite foils that power ORPC’s RivGen systems.